Seam Types

Introduction to Seams
A seam can be defined as : the application of a series of
stitches or stitch types to one or several layers of material.
 8 classes of seams are defined in the ISO classification.
 Seams are described as :
 flat
 superimposed
 lapped
 bound
 ornamental
A seam is load bearing and should be similar in physical
properties to the material being sewn.
 Flat Seams
In these seams, sometimes called Butt
Seams, two fabric edges, flat or folded,
are brought together and oversewn
with a zig-zag lockstitch, chainstitch or
covering stitch (Class 600).

The purpose is to produce a join where

no extra thickness of fabric can be
tolerated at the seam, as in underwear
or in foundation garments.

The looper thread(s) must be soft, yet

strong and the cover thread may be
decorative as well as strong.
 Superimposed Seams

These generally start with two or

more pieces of material
superimposed over each other and
joined near an edge, with one or
more rows of stitches. There are
various types of seams within the SS
class.

A superimposed seam can be sewn

with a stitch 301 or 401 to create a
simple seam. The same seam type
can also be sewn with stitch class
500 (Overedge stitch) or Combination
stitches (i.e. stitch class 516) to
create neat load bearing seams for
lingerie, shirts, etc.
 Lapped Seams
• Two or more plies of material are lapped (i.e.
with edges overlapped, plain, or folded) and
joined with one or more rows of stitches.
• French seaming involves 2 stitching
operations with an intervening folding
operation - a flat, folded seam with only one
row of stitching visible on the top surface,
commonly used for rainwear.
 Lapped Seams
• The Lap Felled type, involves only one
stitching operation - a strong seam with
fabric edges protected from fraying.
• Commonly used for making up jeans or
similar garments.
 Bound Seams

These are formed by folding a binding strip

over the edge of the plies of material and
joining both edges of the binding to the
material with one or more rows of stitching.
This produces a neat edge on a seam
exposed to view or to wear.
 Ornamental Seams
A series of stitches along a straight or
curved line or following an ornamental
design, on a single ply of material.

More complex types include various

forms of piping, producing a raised line
along the fabric surface.
 Edge Finishing Stitching

Finishing the edge of a single ply of material

by folding it or covering it with a stitch.

The simplest of these operations is Serging,

Type 6.01.01, in which a cut edge of a single
ply is reinforced by overedge stitching to
neaten and prevent fraying Includes other
popular methods of producing a neat edge
like hemming and Blind Stitch hemming.
Quality issues & Solutions
 Seam quality issues
1. Puckering
2. Seam grin
3. Seam slippage
4. Skipped stitches
5. Unbalanced stitches
6. Uneven SPI
 Skipped Stitches
Causes Solutions
Check machines clearances and timing.
Failure of hook, looper, or needle to enter
Check needle is inserted and aligned correctly
the thread loop at correct time
Use needle with deeper scarf.
Change needle size/style
Thread loop failure
Check thread take-up and check loop formation

Flagging of fabric due to poor presser foot Adjust presser foot pressure
control or too large a throat plate hole Change throatplate to match needle

Use a reinforced needle

Needle deflections or bent needles
Check needle clearance and reset needle guard

Incorrect sewing tension in needle or under

Adjust thread tension
thread
Check loop formation
Poor loop formation Verify thread selection
Check thread twist and thickness
 Staggered Stitches
Causes Solutions
Increase needle size
Needle vibrating or deflecting
Use reinforced needle

Incorrect or blunt needle point Change needle

Incorrect needle-to-thread size relationship Change needle thread size to appropriate size

Feed dog sways Tighten feed dog

Adjust presser foot pressure

Poor fabric control and presser foot bounce
Change feed mechanism
 Unbalanced or Variable Stitches

Causes Solutions
Adjust top or bottom thread tension as
Incorrect sewing tensions
necessary for balanced stitches

Incorrect threading Check for correct thread path

Polish bobbin case and thread contact surfaces

Needle thread snagging on bobbin case or
positioning finger
Variable thread tension
Reset positioning finger
Change throatplate to match needle
Check for correct thread path
Make sure check spring is properly set
Check thread lube consistency
 Variable Stitch Density
Causes Solutions
Increase presser foot pressure
Poor fabric feed control
Change to a more positive feed mechanism
 Seam Grin
 When two pieces of fabric are pulled at right angles to the
seam, a gap is revealed between the two pieces of fabric
revealing the thread in this gap.

 Corrective actions
 Increase stitching tensions
 Use a higher stitch rating
 Seam Slippage
A fabric related issue.
 Happens mainly in 2 types of fabrics :
 fabrics with low no. of warp & weft yarns.
 fabrics where C.F. yarns are used in the
weave.
The fabric on either side of the seam
distorts as the fabric yarns slide away
resulting in a permanent gap.

 Corrective Actions
 Increase seam allowance
 Use a higher stitch density
 Opt for a lapped fell seam
 Seam Pucker


Tension pucker

Feed pucker

Shrinkage pucker

Inherent pucker

Fabric flagging
 Tension Pucker
 Caused by high thread tension during sewing.
 More pronounced when synthetic threads are
used.
 These threads on account of high stretch
properties elongate more during sewing.
 After sewing the threads recover from the stretched
state pulling the fabric with it.
Remedy:
Thread tensions have to be kept as
low as possible.
 Feed Pucker
 Encountered when sewing very fine fabrics.
 The plies of fabric tend to slip over each other
resulting in uneven feed leading to pucker.
Remedy :
 Opting for advanced types of feed
systems like compound or unison feed.
 Puller feed is more cost effective.
 Shrinkage Pucker
 Wash pucker - during the wash process the thread in the seam
shrinks, pulling the fabric with it. More so when using cotton
threads.
 Ironing pucker - normally happens when synthetic threads are
used. The heat destabilizes the molecular structure of the
thread causing it to contract.
Remedy
 Choosing threads with low shrinkage properties.
 Inherent Pucker
 Normally seen when sewing densely woven materials.
 This occurs because the needle forcibly displaces the
warp & weft ends of the dense weave to a significant
extent.
 These displaced ends are pushed upwards to the
surface of the fabric and appear as pucker.
 This is also know as 'STRUCTURAL JAMMING'

Remedy
 Opting for finer needles & threads
 Opt for a chain stitch in place of a lock

stitch
 Reduce stitch density

 Biased stitching
 Fabric Flagging

 A machine related issue

 the throat plate aperture enlarges due to wear & tear
 while sewing the needle pushes the fabric through the
aperture before penetrating the fabric
 this can also happen when the needle size (thickness) is
changed and if the throat plate is not changed accordingly.

Remedy
 throat plates must be changed at regular intervals

after checking for wear & tear

 throat plates must be changed in accordance with the

needle size even if there are no signs of wear & tear.

Needle Size - Nm 60 65 70 80 90 100 110 120

Throat plate - Nm 100 120 120 140 160 160 200 200
aperture size
Garment / Seam properties
 Seam Engineering
A garment is made up using a series of different seams.
Therefore, a thread should be chosen for specific seams to ensure
maximum benefits.
 Seam appearance
ƒ Is the seam attractive, consistent, and neat?
 Seam strength
ƒ Have the correct seam type and thread selections
been made for the item being sewn?
 Seam stretch
ƒ Does the seam allow stretch especially in high
elongation fabrics viz : knits, lycra blends
 Seam durability
ƒ Do the properties of the seam, thread, and fabric
lend themselve to the desired length of use for the
item sewn?
 Seam Strength
Critical factors :
The seam is sewn at right angles
 Thread strength to the direction of load.
 Stitch type
 Stitch rating
 Seam type
 Fabric type
 Needle size & point
Seam strength = SPI X STS X 1.5 - lockstitch
SPI X STS X 1.7 - chainstitch
e.g.
for a seam with a density of 16 spi & a thread with a 1100 gms STS

seam strength for lockstitch = 16 X 1100 X 1.5 = 26,400 gms.

= 26. 4 kgs
seam strength for chainstitch = 16 X 1100 X 1.7 = 29,920 gms.
= 29. 9 kgs
 Seam Strength
 Seam Type

ƒ
A lap felled seam is the strongest of all seam types because the
fabric is lapped upon itself and shares the stress load along with
the thread. However, the lap felled seam makes a bulky seam.
ƒA butt seam is designed to maintain a flat profile, but in this type
seam the thread bears the entire load of stress in the seam.
 Stitch Type
ƒ
The lockstitch is the most common stitch used, but the most easily
damaged.
ƒ Chain and overedge stitches offer more extensibility, which leads to
more resistance to stress.
 Stitch Density
ƒ
Seam strength is usually proportional to stitch density.
ƒ Increasing stitches per inch gives a stronger seam up to a point.
Sometimes it is more economical to use a stronger thread.
 Seam Stretch
The seam is sewn parallel to
the direction of load.
Critical factors
 Thread extensibility
 Stitch type
 Stitch rating
 Fabric Type

Seam stretch is expressed as a % .

 Seam Durability
Defined as the ability of a seam to withstand
abrasion during :
 Distress garment washes like stone, sand, golf ball etc.
 Normal machine wash
 Day to day wear & tear of a garment

Durability factor for various substrates :

 Rayon : 1
 Cotton : 3
 SSP : 12
 Core spun: 30
 CF Nylon : 150
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